Only thing tougher than winning gold? Getting into Stanford

VANCOUVER — For Colorado teenager Rachael Flatt, there’s something tougher than waiting for the judges’ marks after skating at the Winter Olympics.
She is anxiously anticipating acceptance letters from college. Thumbs-up? Or thumbs-down?
“My two top choices are Stanford and Princeton. So I’ll have to wait and see,” said Flatt, a 17-year-old senior at Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs.
Give the girl this: She reaches for the stars.
In 2009, approximately 88 percent of more than 20,000 prep scholars in the applicant pool for Stanford were rejected. A year ago, Princeton disappointed nearly 90 percent of 16,500 potential Tigers who sought the prestige of an Ivy League education.
“I have all my college applications in, so that’s a huge relief. It was pretty nerve-wracking,” Flatt told me. “I know competing at the Olympics will be an immense amount of pressure. But also know I’m going to have a lot of fun.”
While living her athletic dreams, Flatt won’t know her college plans for more than a month.
Of course, she has one distinct advantage against other applicants.
Instead of describing her summer vacation, here’s betting that Flatt’s essay went for the gold.